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I first visited Jackson Creek Landing last June http://www.snaggedline.com/showthrea...=jackson+creek . I trolled along the shoreline in relatively shallow water (4-5 ft) and happened upon a very good striper bite. I made note of the precise section of shoreline where I had that good success -- the "Hot Spot" (essentially near the docks of three particular houses). I went back to Jackson Creek four more times during the summer and caught fish in that same small area on each trip, even when other nearby spots did not produce at all.
I fished there again this morning with Justin. Crossing the Bay Bridge was amazing as a huge fog bank started as I neared the Eastern Shore. We launched about 8:00 am with only 100 yards of visibility. Justin had GPS on his kayak -- I did not. I needed to stay close enough to shore for visible contact. It is very easy to get disoriented in the fog, and I did not want to end up in the middle of the Chester River out of sight of land. 10 mins into the trip, Justin was just out of sight ahead of me when one of my rods went down hard. After a few runs and a short sleigh ride, I boated a fat 23.5" striper. I continued trolling over to my Hot Spot. On the first pass through there, I caught a 12" striper. I circled back and landed a real fat 21.5" fish. With those good catches in the first half hour, I anticipated a good day (I should have stayed there!).
I wanted to visit some shallow marshy areas nearby to cast to shorelines and points. When I got there, I found no moving current and no fish. Justin and I headed on to Kent Narrows, which almost always has a strong current. Today it was dead calm there -- no current and no bites. We headed back to the launch, trolling as we went along. Neither of us had any more bites. The fog remained heavy until after 10:00. Gradually the edge of the fog bank moved eastward. When we finished at 11:30, things were clear and sunny with great visibility.
There is nothing visibly remarkable about the Hot Spot, but it definitely holds fish time and time again. Although I first discovered it by accident, it remains a valuable location. This points out the importance of going exploring some days. Fish in spots with which you are not familiar and check out locations that may not sound like good spots. Most of them will probably not be productive. But every now and then, you find a gem.
Since I was already over in QA County, I made a short run up to Chris Dollar's Tackle Cove kayak store and fishing tackle shop https://www.tacklecove.com/ at the Centreville Wharf. I bought a spare paddle. Chris is running an end-of-season sale on kayaks, gear, and tackle. I was happy to support a small business. Check out his website or stop in to see him.
I fished there again this morning with Justin. Crossing the Bay Bridge was amazing as a huge fog bank started as I neared the Eastern Shore. We launched about 8:00 am with only 100 yards of visibility. Justin had GPS on his kayak -- I did not. I needed to stay close enough to shore for visible contact. It is very easy to get disoriented in the fog, and I did not want to end up in the middle of the Chester River out of sight of land. 10 mins into the trip, Justin was just out of sight ahead of me when one of my rods went down hard. After a few runs and a short sleigh ride, I boated a fat 23.5" striper. I continued trolling over to my Hot Spot. On the first pass through there, I caught a 12" striper. I circled back and landed a real fat 21.5" fish. With those good catches in the first half hour, I anticipated a good day (I should have stayed there!).
I wanted to visit some shallow marshy areas nearby to cast to shorelines and points. When I got there, I found no moving current and no fish. Justin and I headed on to Kent Narrows, which almost always has a strong current. Today it was dead calm there -- no current and no bites. We headed back to the launch, trolling as we went along. Neither of us had any more bites. The fog remained heavy until after 10:00. Gradually the edge of the fog bank moved eastward. When we finished at 11:30, things were clear and sunny with great visibility.
There is nothing visibly remarkable about the Hot Spot, but it definitely holds fish time and time again. Although I first discovered it by accident, it remains a valuable location. This points out the importance of going exploring some days. Fish in spots with which you are not familiar and check out locations that may not sound like good spots. Most of them will probably not be productive. But every now and then, you find a gem.
Since I was already over in QA County, I made a short run up to Chris Dollar's Tackle Cove kayak store and fishing tackle shop https://www.tacklecove.com/ at the Centreville Wharf. I bought a spare paddle. Chris is running an end-of-season sale on kayaks, gear, and tackle. I was happy to support a small business. Check out his website or stop in to see him.